What Oxfam is doing

When a severe cholera outbreak gripped Zimbabwe in late 2008, Oxfam affiliates responded with an effort that eventually reached 2.2 million people.

For example, working with the Single Parents Widow (ers) Support Network, or SPWSNET, a local partner in Mudzi, Oxfam repaired more than 300 deep wells, known as boreholes, so that people could have access to a clean source of drinking water instead of having to rely on contaminated streams. All together, the rehabilitated wells helped ensure that 130,000 people had safe water in that remote rural area. And to further ensure the safety of the water, Oxfam distributed water chlorination tablets to 52,000 households in urban and rural areas on a monthly basis between December 2008 and July 2009.

A public health education campaign, which reached hundreds of thousands of people, was also key to Oxfam’s response. Through song, dance, and drama, teams of public health educators offered tips on how to check the spread of cholera—including the importance of such basic steps as regular hand-washing. A small army of community health volunteers—2,449 of them—also received training on the safe disposal of excreta, signs and symptoms of cholera, and preventive measures that communities and individuals need to take.

In Mudzi, to help protect the long-term health of villagers, Oxfam has also initiated a pilot program to provide nearly 1,000 families with bio-sand filters that will help clean the water they bring back from the wells to use in their homes. Additionally, Oxfam and SPWSNET established a cholera early warning system designed to prevent future outbreaks. The system includes the completion of biweekly questionnaires in some villages and the creation of village cholera committees tasked with reporting any new cases to the local health center.